Some non-gyaru shop staff to show this time from Stay Real and Candy Stripper. I get excited I think more to show non-gyaru shop staff because I enjoy all types of shop staff doing their own cool style.

Theflyingace asked

“Have you ever been treated poorly by a shop staff for being a gaijin despite having pretty awesome Japanese language/communication abilities?” Most of your posts show you getting along with shop staff but I had always wondered if some weren’t as friendly, even due to just their personalities?”

BTW best places to ask me questions are the blog/twitter/tumblr. Either 3 are great to contact me. Mail I’m crap at so you’ll get a quicker answer via those 3 first. Blog comments that are questions I’ll try to get to or put it in a post like this.

My answer:

Well admittedly in hindsight I remember the nice ones more. But shop staff are usually hired because they’re cute, they have a look the brand wants, and they’re friendly. Bonuses are rewarded on how many sales they make so being friendly is usually a bonus to that. However, because of the pressures of quotas it feels like some shop staff are very pushy to buy things.

DIA in Shibuya 109 I’m pretty sure has a strict quota because they are very very pushy. I don’t blame them because they have to make money or they’re fired and it only benefits them if you buy from them. However I feel this has made some of them fake, while some of them are so super friendly but just want you to buy everything.

If a shop staff is fake or pushy I just won’t buy from them, but really it’s rare.

Most are very kind, many are curious about what a gaijin is doing speaking Japanese to them and about my life. Lately with the rise of personal and shop blogs I get asked to take a lot more pictures with them for their blogs (more on that below). If I ask to take pictures they want to know about my blog, or they’re used to posing for pictures, or the majority are genuinely shocked or honored I’d ask them.

Candy Stripper – Shinjuku My Lord

These two girls were a gem to talk to in the My Lord shopping mall of Shinjuku station. (engrish giggles). Candy Stripper staff are always so adorable!

Three awesome shop staff from Glad News in Shibuya 109 and Candy Stripper in Ikebukuro Parco have great original style below.

Glad News – Shibuya 109

Oh hi my name is Miki, I’m in the green hair on the left and I’m fucking awesome.

It’s Miki!! Total style icon for me. I love seeing her pop-up on the 109 Glad News style blog. She hasn’t met a hair color she doesn’t like or doesn’t look amazing on her.

When I visited the store she came up to help me out and I was in a bit of a lazy outfit (leopard shawl cardi from wc, boy london shirt, unif hellraiser shoes), but she knew UNIF and Boy London and lusted over them and gave me a bunch of compliments and I got up the nerve to tell her I knew her from reading the 109 blog, and I promise it came out like as much of a creeper as it sounds reading it. But I don’t care. She said I was stylish and asked if I was a designer. Really, Miki? You know sometimes people tell you compliments and they grow in your heart like vines and never let go? That was one of them.

The shop manager is on the right. She remembered me from last year. Although I don’t know how many derpy white girls come in and chat

Archives

Search the Doll

Universal-Doll is mainly about Japanese gyaru fashion including Japanese cosmetics reviews, hair trends, nail art, and Japanese clothing brands. Also travel photos and stories from all around Japan and various other parts of the world.